1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to composite webs of pressure sensitive labels, to method of making such webs and to method of using such webs.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
It is known in the United States to have two-part labels carried on a web of supporting material in which the labels are completely severed from each other, in which one of the labels parts of each label is releasably secured to the supporting material web and the related label part is free of adhesive. The two label parts are joined at a line of weakening or partial severing. The adhesive on the one label parts releasably secures the labels to the web. Such labels are often used as "sale labels" in which the regular price is marked on the label part with the adhesive and the sale price is marked on the label part without the adhesive. The label is removed from the web and adhered to merchandise and the customer is thus aware of both the regular price and the sale price. When the sale is over the clerk removes the other label part, that is, the label part with the sale price, and only the label part with the regular remains adhered to the merchandise. In such a two-part label, the label part without the adhesive causes problems in manufacturing (especially when the wide composite web is slit into narrow composite label webs), in handling, and in feeding the composite web in marking machines such as a hand-held label printing and applying machine. These problems arise because the adhesive-free part tends to move away from the supporting material web as it pivots about the line of partial severing which divides the label into two parts. The adhesive-free parts act like loose flaps. The flaps can for example pivot through 180.degree. and overlie the part which is secured to the web by means of adhesive. For example, the flap can become torn or mutilated inside the label printing and applying machine, causing label waste or incomplete printing of the label. When applying two-part labels of this type, especially labels that are relatively wide, there is a tendency for the label to be applied to certain merchandise in a skewed orientation because of the fact that only the regular price label part has adhesive. This is the case especially where merchandise has a surface characteristic to which it is difficult to apply a pressure sensitive label, for example, a wet, waxy or oily surface.
One of the attempts in the United States to overcome these problems has been to provide a wide web of supporting material to which a wide web of label material is releasably secured by pressure sensitive adhesive. The label material is provided with laterally spaced longitudinally extending zones of pressure sensitive adhesive. The wide web is partially severed longitudinally at one edge of each zone, the label material is severed laterally at longitudinally spaced locations, the lateral severing being complete, and the wide composite web is completely severed longitudinally through marginal portions of the adhesive zones to produce composite webs of two-part labels in which one (or regular price) label part had a wide zone of adhesive and the other (or sale price) label part was a narrow zone of adhesive at its one marginal edge. In that both label parts are releasably secured to the supporting material web by pressure sensitive adhesive there are no loose flaps. However, solving the problem of the loose flaps in this manner causes other problems. For instance, because the sale label part has an adhesive coating which is just as thick as the regular price label part, care must be taken to keep the adhesive zone on the sale label part precisely the proper (narrow) width to prevent the sale label part from adhering too tenaciously to the merchandise to which it is to be applied. In that the adhesive on both label parts is of the same composition, namely of a type known in the art as "permanent" adhesive, it is apparent that too much permanent adhesive on the sale label part is very problemsome. In addition when making a two-part label in this manner, the adhesive stripe or zone on the sale label part extends to its very outer edge and this makes it more difficult to remove by the clerk after the conclusion of the sale because the sale label part is held down to the merchandise to the very edge of the sale label part and it is difficult to get a hold of it. In addition, because the sale label part has adhesive on it, a customer can switch a sale label part (of one label) which bears a low price with a sale label part (of another label) and thus make it appear as if the higher priced merchandise is actually on sale at a lower price. Moreover, the sale label part is sticky to the touch and tends to adhere to the fingers when it is grasped.
It is also known in the United States to provide a composite web of completely severed two-part labels in which the one or regular price label part has a wide zone of adhesive and the other or sale label part has a narrow zone of adhesive in which the adhesive on the sale label part is substantially thinner than the adhesive on the regular price label part. The two-parts of each label are detachably connected by a line of partial severing. The adhesive in both zones can be of the same composition. With certain merchandise even minimal amounts of adhesive can be detrimental because the sale parts adhere too securely to such merchandise. Such two-part labels are completely severed from each other in one version and are partially severed so incompletely in another version to require the two-part labels to be severed from each other by a cut-off knife.
It is also known in the United States to provide a composite web of completely severed two-part labels in which one label part is releasably adhered to a supporting material web by means of a coating of a permanent-type adhesive and in which the other label part is releasably adhered to the web by means of a coating of a removable-type adhesive. Thus, both parts are releasably adhered to the supporting material web. Such composite label webs are made using a wide composite label web in which the label material is coated with two types of adhesives in an alternating pattern, and the wide composite web is subsequently slit to make narrower composite label webs each having a zone of permanent-type adhesive and a zone of removable-type adhesive. However, the cost of making a composite web in which the label material was coated with two different types of adhesive made it unattractive for use as a sale label. Moreover, the holding power or tackiness of the removable-type adhesive on the removable label part made such a two-part label impractical for use as a sale label because even a removable-type adhesive applied in conventional amounts and distribution adheres tenaciously enough to many types of merchandise to which price labels are generally applied to prevent quick removal. Moreover, because the other label part has (removable) adhesive it is subject to being switched and it is sticky to the touch.
It is also known in the United States to provide a composite label web of the three-part type in which the label has two outboard label parts which are releasably secured to a web of supporting material and an inboard label part free of adhesive which is removably secured to the outboard label parts by respective lines of partial severing. In this connection reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 3,885,334 to James P. Banks dated May 27, 1975.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,551,251 to Yo Sato et al dated Dec. 29, 1970 discloses a label printing and applying machine in which a knife is used to separate labels from each other.
It is also known in the United States to provide a composite web of two-part labels in which the one label parts which are free of adhesive and the other label parts have pressure sensitive adhesive releasably securing the labels to a web of supporting material, wherein the label parts of each label are lightly detachably connected and wherein adjacent labels are connected to each other at both label parts relatively securely. While these labels are not suitable for use in a label printing and applying apparatus which does not have a knife for severing adjacent labels, the labels can be manually separated from the web with the label parts of each label still connected and thereafter the labels can be torn apart and individually applied to merchandise.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,767,039 to Schroter dated Oct. 23, 1973 discloses a tape composed of several segments, coated on both sides with a pressure sensitive adhesive. The tape is connected but has easily separable sticker segments arranged on the carrier tape. With this kind of tape structure the result is obtained that a segment pulled off from the carrier tape draws the following segment after it is up to the point of tearing away. The tape with connected but readily separable segments lends itself particularly well to use in dispensing apparatus in which the composite tape is pulled off the supply roll and the carrier tape is pulled around a reversing vane, whereby the segment reaching this position lifts off the carrier type as the latter is folded back on itself. By a slight pull this segment is then torn away from the following one that still more or less completely adheres to the carrier tape.